Automatic information device



W. (l. CUTLER.-

AUTOMATIC INFORMATION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 3, 1921.

Patented July 12, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET I.

W. C. CUTLER.

AUTOMATIC INFORMATION DEVICE.

I APPLICA'HON FILED FEB. 3, I921.

Patented July 12, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2 W. C. CUTLER.

AUTOMATIC INFORMATION DEVICE.

APPLICATION man res. a, 1921. 1,384,306. Patented July 12, 1921.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

fin .5.

W. C. CUTLER.

AUTOMATIC INFORMATION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. s. 1921.

1 3 4,30 Patented July 12, 1921. I

4 SHIiETS-SHEET .4.

HGT .5

I F H b 58 i El 4.9 54

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

AUTOMATIC INFORMATION DEVICE.

Patented July 12, 1921.

Application filed February 3, 1921. Serial No. 442,243.

To all whom it may concern Be i known that I, lVILLiAM C. CUTLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at North Glendale, in thecounty of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Automatic Information Device; of which the following is a. specification. 7

This invention relates to devices for holding tabled and classified matter in a stored position ready to move into a convenient position for inspection'when the automatic operating mechanism is so set.

One of-the objects of this invention is to securely lock and hold the operating and lifting mechanism in a certain position as long as one of the tables is in lifted po sition.

Another object is to prevent any operating or any moving of any ofthe operating mechanism as long as one of the inner parts is away from its normal storing position after the operating mechanism has once been moved to such an extent. Y

Another object is to provide a device which will be reliable and not liable to get out of working order.

Another object. is to provide such a device with a pedal that will stay down near its lowermost position when once so moved until any card that may have been lifted has come back toits storing position, so that no {vibrating or undue movement can be transmitted to such card.

Another object is to provide means for automatically releasing the pedal from such lowermost osition as soon the lifted card has reached its storing position.

Another object is to provide means, allowing a moving of the pedal only once while bringing av card up to displaying position when the pedal becomeslocked' until the card has reached its original storing position.

Another object is to provide locking means for the lifting and setting mechanism. to lock one mechanism when the other is being operated.

Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claims as well as from the accompanying drawings, in whichv Figure 1 is a perspective outside view of the device.

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the device with only the end wall of the casing taken away.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the device'on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail top plan view of one of the end portions of the lifting hooks.

Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the hook in Fig. 4.

F ig. 6 is a vertical cross section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is an end elevation of the interlocking and engaging means in operative relation to the foot pedal of the lifting mechanism. in slightly modified form.

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the mechanism in Fig. 7, shown in operative relation to one of the side walls of the casing or cabinet of the device.

Fig. 9 is a diagrammatic illustration of the balancing and equalizing means for the table carriers in end elevation.

The cabinet 9, illustrated in Fig. 1 in perspective, normally consists of a rear wall 10, see Fig. 2. side Walls 11, front wall 12, top 13, glassed upper front 14. and the desklike front piece 15.

A setting termination is preferably provided in or near the desk-like front, as indicated at 16. A lifting termination is preferably provided in the front as indicated at 17. Both terminations mustnaturally be on the outside of the device so that the device can be operated and used from the outside and without having to open any part of the device. Having the whole device normally closed tends to help to protect the working'mechanism from being tampered With. To fully protect the inner mechanism against unjustified and unauthorized meddling and tampering, such portions of the mechanism that extend to the outside must naturally be of such a size and construction as not to allow undue influence of the innor mechanism through the outer terminations. and there must be safety means close enough to the outside within the device which protect as far as possible the inner mechanism.

The desk-like portion of the front is in a position to be used for writing and making notes. On the other hand, this desk portion is preferably provided with the index for the device. as indicated at 18. Since the device is intended. to be used for a city directory, business directory, and other desir-able tabled information holding device, it is naturally necessary that the tabled and stored matter must be indexed so that anyone desirous of obtaining a certain class of classified matter may know how to cause the device to disclose or display such inatter. Certain matter may, for instance, be on a common table indexed a. This a appears also in the line, indicated at 19 along the slot 20 so that the indicating point 21 ofthe setting termination 16 can be set near such a point or place. Having tllG'lLHlttOll 16, (the termination may easily be in form of a button, knob, handle and any other similar handy form) set near a certain letter or indicating marl: in the line 19, means that one of a set of tables has been chosen by such a setting. If the foot pedal 1? then operated. such a chosen table appears behind the upper glassed front 14 so that the printed or otherwise arranged matter may be seen behind the glass.

The operation of the device is best understood from the illustration in Fig. 2, and Fig. 3 n ay be considered from time to time in conjunction with Fig. 2.

Tables to show classified and indexed matter may best be provided on plates or cards 22 see Figs. 2 and Such cards are suspended between two movable frames 23, see Fig. 3, so that the cards retain a hanging position no matter how and to'what position the frames are moved. see Fig. 2.

Stay-bolts 2e provided between at" two frames 23 so that the whole will operate as one frame. swingablv mounted on the end bolts 25. The connecting rod 26 connects the frame with the setting button 16. A

7 moving of the button 16 produces a swingthat the stay-bolts 24 are so arranged that the cards can hang in a practically vertical line at any point on the frame. The movement of the button it; inthc slot 20 means a direct movement of the cards on the archshaped portions of the frame.

A dashpot 31 is connected to the frame at 32 for controlling the movement of the frame. A ratchet bar 33, of nearly the form of the arclrshaped portions of the frame, is secured to the frame at 34 and 35 and bridged over the bar 26, so that the main portion of the ratchet bar is spaced from the arch-shaped portion of the frame to which it is secured. Since both arch-shaped portions of the frame are rigidly interconnected by the stay-bolts 24:, only one operating bar is necessary, and also only one ratchet bar for setting the frame in certain desired and chosen positions. A bar 30 is provided with a selecting-and adjusting cam 3'? to engage with one of the notches 38 of the ratchet bar 33. The cam 37 serves to automatically adjust the frame one way or the o her so that one of the cards is adjusted positively into a lifting position. It will easily be undcrstoml that the frame may not be exactly in a position to bring one certain card into the correct lifting position when the setting button 16 shifted to near a certain indicating mark on the desk, so that the lifting mechanism would not be able to select any card, the lifting member eventually being just between two cards. To avoid this. the ratchet arrangement is provided so that the cam will. force itself into one of the spring 42, as soon as the pin 43 on the rod 36'1noves a my from the pawl.

The rod or bar 36 connects to the foot pedal 17, as indicated at tit, and the least movement of the pedal downwardly allows the pawl to engage with the ratchet bar In case that the ratchet bar 33 not in a position that the point 40 can slip into Gllgagementwith one of the teeth 41 of the ratchet bar 33, the cam 37 will on further downward movement of the pedal by the force of the pedal be caused to adjust the position of the ratchet bar so that the pawl can enter one of the teeth ll. The pawl 39 is suitably supported on the side wall of the cabinet by the pin 45 or other similar suitable means. The bar 36 with the cam 3'? is also suitably guided by the side wall of the cabinet, as indicated at-lli in Fig. 3. so that the ratchet bar 33 and thereby the frame for the several stored cards, when engaged by the bar 36 is and can be held in certain relation to the cabinet so as to establish a certain lifting position 30 from which a' chosen card may be lifted.

A card lifting hook 4-7 is provided in aposition on each end of the chosen card, that is near the lifting position so that the ends of the pins or supporting rods 29 of the cards can pass through the hooks when swung on the frame ready to engage with the card at the top point or highest point on the frame, that at the lifting point 30. The hooks 47 are illustrated in end. view Fig. 2, and in ill) rear side elevation in Fig. 8, showing that the hooks are suspended on the members 48. The two hooks are joined by a common bar 49, adjustable by a buckle (commonly known as turnbuckle) 50, see Fig. 3, Each of the hook members is provided with a down wardly projecting end 51 in a positionout of reach of the ends of the supporting rod 29 of the cards, and another centrally projecting end 52 in a position to reach below the ends of the supporting rods 29 so that the ends of the supporting rods of, the cards can pass through the hooks without touching the hooks when the hooks are in their inoperative position, that is the lifting position of the chosen card.

In Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the hook is shown in detail, somewhat enlarged, a bore 53 being provided to receive a spring 54. A pin 55, having a cross member 56,;is inserted through a smaller bore 57 fromthe top and through the spring 54. A block 58 is riveted or other wise in a similar manner securedto the lower end of the pin so as to engage the spring between the hook andthe block for automati cally forcing the block out of hook to n0rmally retain the position in which it is illustrated, Thedotted lines in a circle, indicated at 59 in Fig. 6, make it clear that the rod ends of the supporting bar of the cards areengaged between the end 52 of the hook and the block 58. The cross member 56 is provided to come to rest on the rest members 60 provided on the walls of the cabinet, as illustrated in Fig. 3. In descending, the hooks 47 pass into resting and storing position between the rest members 60 so as to bring the cross members 56 to rest on the top edges of the rest members 60, thereby overcoming the tension of the springs 54 so as to withdraw the blocks into a position within the hooks so as to free the ends of the sup porting rod 29 of the card that just returned in descending to its storing position. The frame may then again be operated for choosing another table or card, as will easily be understood from the above.

The connecting rod 61 eonnecting with the foot pedal. as indicated at 62, normally engages over the end (33 of the lever 64. so that, by a downward movement of the foot pedal 17, the lever '64 is also moved with the pedal. The operating lever 65 is provided on a common shaft66 with the lever 64, so

that the movement of the lever 64 is transmitted to the lever 65. A connecting rod G'Fengagesat 68 with the lever 65 and terminates at its upper end in sleeve-like momhers 69 so that an extension rod 70 may somewhat and somehow telescope in the sleeve-like portions 69 of and in relation to the lower rod 67, A shouldering piece or' member 71 is provided on the rod 70 to seat or rest against the end of the rod 67, both rods being drawn together by the spring 72. A stop 73 is provided on the rod T0,

normally engaged by the lever 74.

The operating of the lever 65 puts the spring 72 only under suitaole tension but does not actually move or operate the rod 70, until the very last moment when the foot pedal reaches its lowermost position, at which. time the shoulder member 75. on the rod 76 presses on the end 77 of the lever T l thereby disengaging the end T8 of the same lever '74 from the stop 73 on the rod 70. The rod 70 is then free to descend under the tension of the spring 72 controlled by the dashpot 79. The rod 76 is in connection with the foot pedal at 80 at its lower end and in connection at its upper end 81 with the lever 82.

The lever 83 engages at 84 with the pulley 85. Two pulleys are naturally necessary as long as two flexible members 48 are used for lifting the cards or tables, but it is suf- "icient that one of the pulleys is engaged and controlled as at 84, since both pulleys 85 are on a common shaft 87, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. The smaller pulley 86 is also provided on the common shaft 8'7. The upper portion 88 of the rod 70 must then be of flexible material, or, in other words, a portion of flexible material should preferably be provided on the upper end of the rod 70. Such a flexible member is wound around the pulley S6 and suitably secured to the pulley so that, on unwinding, the flexible member or portion does not entirely disengage from the pulley S6. The flexible member 48 is also wound each on one of the pulleys 85, and the ends of the 7 two flexible members 618 are then also suitably securcd to the pulleys 85 to not disengage entirely from the pulleys on unwind ing.

A pulling and unwinding of the flexible member 88 from the pulley 86, caused by the operation of the rod '70, as described above, produces a winding of the flexible members 18 to the pulleys S5, and thereby a lifting of a card, the speed of the movement being controlled by the dashpot T9. The lifting operation of the-card is then automatic after the fo'otpedal has :aused power to become stored in the spring '72.

The descending of the card or table is preferably produced 3y operation of the weight of the table and of lifting hooks and cross rod or bar 49, also controlledby the dashpot 79.

From the above it is clear that the movement of the levers 64k and 65.. especially in their upward movement, is also rontrolled by the dashpot 79.

The foot pedal, however, is moved back to its inoperative position, that is, its upper position, by the spring 91. whicln of course. acts quick r than theidashpot would allow As described above, on pressing the 'foot pedal down the lever 6 1 is also pressed down, the lever 6% being controlled in its upward movement by the dash pot '19. while the foot pedal is controlled and quickly snapped bark by the action of the spring 91, which means that the upper termination 92 of the connecting rod 61 is pressed a-gainst'the inclined upper portion 93 of the lever 64. The inclined upper portion 93 of the lever 64: is in its lowermost position so disposer as to cause the upwardmoving upper termination 92 of the connecting rod 61 to slide to the position indicated at 94k, somewhat in the rear of the bar or partition block 95. disengaged from the hook-like end of the lever 6 1-.

7 61 is held by the hook-like member 96 until the lifted table and therewith the levers 6i and are in their normal inoperative position, when the pin 97 on the lever 65 comes to press against the upper end 98 of the hook member 96 thereby freeing the connecting rod 61 so that the upper portion 92 may slide upwardly between the bar 95 and the rear bar 99. The upper portion 100 of the rear bar 99 guides theupper portion 92 of the connecting rod back to its normal inoperative position above the hook-like portion of the lever 64, ready for the next action of the foot pedal.

This arrangement gives the advantage that during the descending of a card the foot pedal cannot be operated at all, so that the card must first be in its normal storing position before any mechanism can be operated. The setting mechanism is locked by the foot pedal as long as the foot pedal is in its lower position. the rod 36 engaging the ratchet bar 33 by the cam 37. and the pawl engagingalso until the foot pedal is back in its uppermost position. that is its inoperative position. The pedal, on the other hand, as described abovm is locked against operation, or against being operated in the normal manner as long as the lifted card is descending. So the whole device is locked while a lifted table is descending from a lifted, information displaying or disclosing position to its inoperative and storing position as will easily be understood from the above.

The table-storing frame, being swingably mounted and supported on the end pins 25, illustrated in Fig. 2' as swung toward the front of the device may be swung to a similar extent toward the rear wall 10 so that the larger portion of the stored tables or cards hang in their stored position and. condition the rear wall.

finch a swinging of the table-storing frame with the whole tables hanging eventually on one sideof its central support shows that the frame and tables have to be balanced in a suitable manner. In Fig. 3, rollers or pulleys 101 are provided on one of the side walls of the cabinet and connecting means 102 and springs 1.03 form the balancing means for the frame and tables. An end elevation of this arrangement is illustrated in Fig. 9, the corner 10% of the frame being swung over to its lowermost position thereby. putting uhe spring 103 under increased stress, while the corner 105 of the frame is in its uppermost position, the spring 103, being less stretched, one of the springs always counteracting the overhang ing weight of the frame, as will easily be understood.

In Figs. 7 and 8 is a slightly modified form of a foot pedal and operating lever in terengaging. The foot pedal 17 and the connecting rod 61 are not modified over the illustrations in Figs2 and 3, but the lever 64L is represented by the lever 106 inthese Figs. 7 and 8 the lever 106 having only the hook-like engaging end and not the inclined upper portion 93 of the lever 64- in Fig. 2. The oscillating member 107 is provided swingably mounted at 108, actuated by the spring 109. Th upper termination 110 of the connecting rod 61. is formed to reach over the oscillating member and over the hook-like end of the lever 106 in its inoperative position. On pressing the foot pedal down, as soon as the end 110 reaches the position indicated at 111, the oscillating member is actuated by the spring to take its original position, now above the end 110. In moving downwardly. the end 110 slides along the edge 112 of the oscillating member until the end 110 reaches the position at 111 when the oscillating member can snap or move back to its normal inoperative position.

As long as the foot pedal is held down, the end 110 stays engaged with the hook-like portion of the lever 106, but as soon as the foot pedal is released it moves over the end of the oscillating member to the position 113 thereby freeing the lever 106 to move up to its upper inoperative position in a similar manner as described in relation to the device disclosed and illustrated in Fig. 2. The connecting rod 61 is then locked in a similar manner by the hook member 96 as described in relation to Fig. 2, until the lever 65 reaches its uppermost position when the hook member is put or forced back to its normal unlocking position by the pin 97. The eonnectingrod with the end 110 passes upwardly between the bars 114 and 115 back to its inoperative position above the hook portion of the lever 106 placing the foot pedal ready for the neat downward for retaining the foot lever in a locked position until released by the action of the table returning to said selective position. v

2. In an automatic information device, a series of tables, a table carriage, tables and carriage mounted for an oscillating move- 'ment so as to retain a hanging positionfor the tables at any point of the oscillating movement of the carriage, a ratchet bar near and following the segmental form of the carriage, a pawl for locking the ratchet bar and thereby the carriage against oscillating movement, operating means for moving any of the tables to selective position, operating means for moving the selected table out of selective position to view position, and adjusting means for alining and locking the ratchet and therewith the table carriage in selective position against oscillating movement as long as one of the tables is moved out of its storing position on the carriage 3. In an information device, an operating lever, a foot pedal, connecting means between the operating lever and the foot pedal adapted to disengage from the operating lever in its lowermost position when moved upwardly, guiding means for holding the connecting means engaged with the operating lever in the downward movement of the lever, and guiding means for bringing the connecting means to a point above the lever when the foot pedal is completing its upward movement.

4. In an information device, an operating lever, a foot pedal, connecting means between the operating lever and the foot pedal adapted to disengage from the operating lever when the foot pedal starts to move upwardly, guiding means for holding the connecting means engaged with the operating lever in the downward movement of the lever, guiding means for bringing the connecting means to a point above the lever when'the footpedal is completing its upward movement.

5. In an information device, an operating lever, a foot pedal, connecting means betweenthe operating lever and the foot pedal adapted to disengage from the operating lever when the foot pedal starts to move upwardly, guiding means for holding the connecting means engaged with the operating lever in the downward movement of the lever, guiding means for bringing the connecting means to a point above the lever when the foot. pedal is completing its upward movement, and means for holding'the foot pedal near its lowermost position until the lever has reached its uppermost position after being disengaged from the foot pedal and connecting means.

. 6. In an information device, an operating lever, a foot pedal, connecting means between the operating lever and the foot pedal, guiding means for holding the connecting means engaged with the operating lever in the downward movement of the lever, means to disengage the connecting means from the operating lever when the foot pedal starts i in its upward movement, means for holding the foot pedal and the connecting means near their lowermost position until the operating lever has reached its uppermost posi-- tion after being disengaged, and guiding means for bringing the connecting means to a point above the lever when the foot pedal is completing its upward movement.

7. In an information device, an operating lever, a foot pedal, connecting means between the operating lever and the foot pedal, guiding means for holding the connecting means engaged with the operating lever in the downward movement of the lever, means to disengage the connecting means from the operating lever when the foot pedal starts in its upward movement, means for bringing the operating lever back to its uppermost position independently of the foot pedal and the connecting means as soon as the lever is disengaged from the connecting means, means for holding the foot pedal and the connecting means near their lowermost position until the operating lever has reached its uppermost position after being disengaged, and guiding means for bringing the connecting means to a point above the operating lever when the foot pedal is completing its upward movement so as to interengage the foot pedal again with the operating lever.

8. In an automatic information device, a seriesof tables, a hand lever, means operative by the hand lever to move the tables to bring any of them into selective position, a foot pedal, means to raise the selected table out of selective position, means to hold the foot lever inoperative, means to release said holding means, and means operated by depression of the said foot pedal to line up and lock the tables against motion.

9. In an automatic information device, a series of tables, a foot pedal, means to move the tables to. bring any one of them into selective position, means to raise the selected table from selective position, a spring, means connecting the spring to the table-raising means and to the foot pedal and operative by depression of the foot pedal to store up energy in the spring and operative by the stored up energy of the spring when the foot pedal is depressed sufliciently to operate the table-raising means, and means operative by depression of the foot pedal to line up and lock the tablemoving means.

10. In an automatic information device, a series of cards, a card carrier, a hand lever, means operative by the hand lever to move any one of the cards to Selective position, a foot lever, an operating lever, connecting means between the foot lever and the operating lever adapted to disengage from the operating lever when the foot lever starts to move upwardly, meansoperative by the downward movement of the operating lever to move the selected card out of selective position to view position, means for locking the card within the removing means as soon as the card leaves the selective position adapted to free the card as soon as returned to selective and storing position, means for holding the foot lever near its lowermost position until the operating lever has reached its uppermost position and therewith returned the card to storing position, means to bring the connecting means and therewith the foot pedal again into engagement with the operating lever, and means to rest the card removing means and thereby opening the locking means for freeing the card in the storing position after returning from view position.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses,

WILLIAM C. CUTLER. Witnesses: V

MARY KnRKnn, ISABELLA M. CUTLER. 

